Best of bands 2013: Lié

In the self-proclaimed “cold punk” band Lié, guitarist Ashlee Luk screams and sulks up a storm, alongside bassist Brittany Westgarth (also of Kōban) and drummer Kati J. The trio’s eponymous debut, released in January, howls and swipes like a cornered animal, its spiky guitars and goth-shuffle beats creating the perfect soundscape for Vancouver’s shadowy back alleys and grimy punk venues alike.

Best local release other than yours: “I just heard a preview of the new Snit album, Can’t Trust Your Neighbours, and I think that’s probably winning. It’s unlike any other stuff that’s come out here in a really long time. It reminds me of the Emergency Room era of punk. And it’s kind of Mutators-esque.”

The year’s best gig: “Basically any Cowards show that I saw here. Their show at Loch with Womankind [July 13] was really good, and Womankind was awesome too. It was a sweaty mess of a show, and everyone was full of energy. Loch was this venue that we tried and failed to open. It lasted for four hours, one show, and we got evicted by the end of the night. It wasn’t Lié running it, but both me and Brittany were part of the team. So I think we should just relocate the whole scene to New West.”

Your house is on fire. What album are you saving? “The Wipers’ Over the Edge. It’s super influential towards my guitar-playing and songwriting in general. I’ve listened to it so much that it’s saturated my brain, and I feel like a lot of the melodies are reflected in my writing. There are certain songs where I’m like, ‘Oh, I really like that guitar riff in that one song,’ and that one guitar riff will influence a whole bunch of my own songs.”

Chip Wilson’s paying, so where’s dinner? “I’m gonna say HousexGuest [332 Water Street]. I haven’t really gotten around to going, but I always see pictures online, and it looks really awesome.”

We’re reshooting the video for Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”. Who’s your topless costar? “Sam Buss from Kōban. And I think that nobody in my band would disagree on that.”

Let’s make this city more fun by opening a venue. Where? “There’s this giant, abandoned industrial complex called Terminal City Iron Works Ltd. [1909 Franklin Street]. It’s currently used as a film set, and it encompasses a whole city block on Victoria and Franklin. It’s all enclosed, so I thought that would be the most amazing place to hold an indoor festival.”